1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for the reorientation of articles. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus and method for the reorientation of articles of moderate weight (e.g., from a few hundred grams to a few kilograms) that might be damaged by rough handling.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the preparation of packaged items for sale in supermarkets, such as poultry and other meat products, a food item is commonly placed on a tray and over-wrapped in a packaging machine. The wrapped article emerges from the packaging machine and is placed on a conveyor belt. Conventional packaging machines tend to output articles in a fixed orientation, generally with the longer axes of the articles extending across the output conveyor. For subsequent operations, such as application of labels, the articles tend to have the wrong orientation. Up to now, it has been necessary to reorient all the articles by hand. The present invention enables automation of the reorientation of the articles.